Card-shuffler



0 A R I) S H U P P L E R No. 449,316. Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

I I G E without materially affecting the operation.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWVIN FALKINGHAM, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CA R D S H U F F L E R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,316, dated March 31, 1891.

Application filed November 20, 1890- Serial No. 372,079. (No model.)

To ctZl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN FALKINGHAM, a citizen of England, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Gard-Shufflers; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a device for shuffling cards.

It consists of a long narrow box or case h aving obstructing ribs placed across it at intervals, whereby a portion of the cards may be stopped, allowing those upon the top to slide over and be afterward followed by the others in such a manner as to intimately mix or shuflie them.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is an exterior view of the device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section.

A is the exterior case, having a length of something more than four times of that of a pack of cards and a width sufiicient to allow the cards to lie within the case and slide easily from one end to the other. The depth of the case is considerably greater than the thickness of the pack of cards, and it is closed from end to end. If desired, the top may be closed by a transparent covering B, so that the cards may be easily seen, or it may have an open slot through which the cards may be seen. In the present case I have shown one end of the case as being less in depth than the other, the bottom being inclined, as shown at I), from the first transverse strip and descending toward the opposite end. The case may have a regular depth or may be otherwise varied in shape from that herein shown At intervals along the bottom of this case I fix the interrupting strips E, which I have here shown as being made triangular in shape and secured to the bottom of the case at intervals a little greater than the length of a pack of cards, so that smooth inclined or V- shaped surfaces are presented by each of these obstructions. In the present case I have shown three of them with the intermediate spaces and spaces between the two outside ones and the ends of the case, so that there are four compartments for the cards; but it will be manifest that more or less may be employed, as may be found satisfactory.

One end of the device is left open, so that the cards may be easily introduced, and from this end to the base of the first triangular stop is fitted an inclined bottom F to facilitate the introduction and removal of the cards. The closed end may be made plain, or it may form a double incline with the apex toward the interior of the case, so that the ends of the cards will strike when they are allowed to slide from the entrance to this end, and this opens or separates them, so that those following will slide in among those which have just arrived.

The operation will then be as follows: The cards beingintroduced into the case face downward and lying upon the bottom, the case is tilted so that the cards will slide. The lowermost of the cards, striking against the first obstruction, will be checked, while the uppermost ones will slide over and fall into the second space or depression, the lowermost of these being again checked by the second obstruction, and so on until the top ones have arrived at the end of the case. The inclination being sufficiently increased, the others will then start and slide over the obstructions and be mixed wit-h those at the end of the case. By placing the hand over the open entrance end the cards may be allowed to slide back to this end, the same operation again taking place, and by allowing the cards to slide a few times from end to end it will be found that when they are taken out they are very thoroughly shuffled and mixed up.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device for shuffling cards, consisting of a case Within which the cards may be allowed to slide from end to end, said case having an inclined floor provided withV-shaped obstructions for periodically checking the passage of the cards, substantially as herein described.

2. A device for shuffling cards, consisting of a case having the V-shaped obstructions fitted to the bottom at intervals between the ends, and the V-shaped end piece against I O O which the cards strike when allowed to slide to the end of the case, substantially as herein described.

A card-shuffling device consisting of a case having the bottom inclined, with transverse obstructing strips fixed across it, as shown, an opening at; one end for the introduction of the cards, and an incline F extending from this opening to the base of the first) obstruction, substantially as herein described. [0

In witness whereof I have hereunto set; my

hand.

EDWIN FALKINGHAM. Witnesses S. H. NOURSE, 

